Jay Taft: Chicago Bears are better off now than a year ago

LAKE FOREST - Immediately after Sunday's disappointment at the hands of the Packers, the questions about the future of the Chicago Bears came raining down.

It didn't stop as they were cleaning out their lockers Monday morning at Halas Hall.

"This loss just stings," backup defensive back Craig Steltz said while standing next to his now-empty locker. "It'll hurt for awhile, so once you move on from that, you'll kind of start to think about the next step. The questions are there, we know."

Another promising season turned into a typical Bears late collapse and failure to make the playoffs. The team has started 7-3, 7-1 and 3-0 the past three seasons, and has failed to qualify for the postseason in each.

So when it happens with a new coaching regime and a good offense in place, it's imperative to jump straight to this question: Are the Bears better off now than they were before Marc Trestman arrived?

On offense, the answer is easy. They boasted the best one the Bears have ever had.

But there are a few more reasons why I believe this year's 8-8 Bears have more upside, and show more promise for quickly becoming a contender, than last season's 10-6 squad did.

Granted there was a regression in terms of the overall record, and most certainly the once-aging defense aged, and got bad. It was the worst in team history.

"You can't not look at the stats," defensive end Shea McClellin said about a unit that set franchise lows for yards allowed (6,313) and points allowed (478). "It was a fun ride, but I think there were too many ups and downs. I hope we can continue to build from here."

They can.

It starts with what looks to be just over $26 million to spend and 27 newly-anointed free agents, including plenty of key players on the defensive side - most notably corners Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings.

The key is getting younger and better, and that will happen only if general manager Phil Emery proves to be as good a talent evaluator on the defensive side as he is on the offensive side. Guys like Lance Briggs, Julius Peppers, Major Wright and Corey Wootton should be brought back for a shot at redeeming themselves, and a new influx of free-agent signees and draftees will make this group better - if Emery makes the right choices.

While McClellin is looking like a first-round bust for Emery, his first as the Bears GM, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and offensive lineman Kyle Long prove that the second-year Bears GM can get the right man for the job.

"He'll find the guys," Long said, "to make this team whole."

One move they need to at least explore is prolonging Tillman's career, and shoring up what's been a thorn in the Bears' defense for a long time, by moving him to safety. And if they can get returnman Devin Hester back for about $1M a year, that's another worry they can sweep under the rug.

Once they cut free of guys like DB Chris Conte and DL Henry Melton, and fill in some holes, the defense can at least be average, and that just may be enough to finally make the playoffs.

Offensively, the Bears are on the right track. Jay Cutler will either re-sign a semi-long-term contract, something in the four-year, $70M range, or absorb the franchise tag and settle for a measly $16-plus million next year. (I vote for tagging him and putting him through another year-long test.) The offensive line, which started together every game, will come back intact, and Cutler, Pro Bowlers Matt Forte and Brandon Marshall, and Pro-Bowler-to-be Jeffery will continue to grow in this potentially explosive offense.

There will be lots of money exchanging hands over the next 5-6 months, and by the time the summer rolls around and the team begins to file back in to Halas Hall, it will have a whole new look to it - on one side of the ball, anyway.

If we have trust in Emery's talent-evaluating skills - I do, except for the hiccup that is McClellin - a refreshed and revived defense will be the goal this offseason.

You can't fix everything in one felled swoop, but after they succeeded in attaining last year's goal of bringing an exciting offense to Chicago - really for the first time in my lifetime - there is hope for the future for Bears fans.